The invention relates generally to foldable display assemblies and more particularly to lightweight portable display assemblies constructed of a fluted plastic product.
Trade shows are an increasingly used means for vendors of products to advertise their goods and services to the trade. These shows are held worldwide and attract vendors, buyers, and resellers from far flung geographic areas. Large sums of money are spent by vendors to display their products in an eye catching manner. Generally, the vendor either purchases or makes a display assembly and ships it to the trade show where it is assembled. After the show the display is disassembled and shipped back to the vendor""s place of business where it is stored until the next trade show. It is not uncommon for a vendor to attend multiple trade shows annually.
The display assemblies commonly available are expensive to purchase or construct, ship, assemble, disassemble, and store. The expense associated with them is due to their weight and large unwieldy size, and the materials from which they are constructed. Generally, displays are constructed of heavy hard to work materials such as wood and metal. They are fastened together with common fasteners such as screws staples, pins, and metal rods. The displays are knocked down for shipment to the trade show location and often require skilled labor to assemble. Some trade show displays may be knocked down for shipment as luggage, but they generally must be shipped in multiple packages due to the fact that they consist of a sheet material and a separate frame structure. The bulky frame structure alone may require shipment in multiple packages.
The invention provides an improvement in currently available display assemblies. It comprises two triangular shaped end columns which support a center wall centrally disposed between the end columns. If it is desired to widen the display area, one or more middle columns, similar in construction to the end columns, may be added. The center wall is engaged along its vertical edges with each of the end and/or middle columns by tabs extending from each vertical edge of the center wall and inserted into corresponding slots on the end and/or middle columns in a locking arrangement. The locking slot and tab arrangement provide a butted joint between the columns and the center wall, which provide a strong and rigid interlock between the center wall and the columns as well as providing vertical stability of the entire display assembly.
Further locking engagement of the center wall between the columns is provided by a header member that extends between two adjacent columns. The header locks into each column by the engagement of a slot on the header with the top of a vertical wall of each column.
The display is constructed of fluted plastic with or without fabric laminated to it. The fluted plastic material allows the display to be made light weight and to be of modular construction. It also allows the parts of the display to be folded and packed flat in a small easily portable point of sale container. The point of sale container may be inexpensively shipped and stored. The material has the advantage of being inexpensively die cut and creased. A particular advantage of the material is that it is a one piece material that may nonetheless be cut almost entirely through its thickness to form a xe2x80x9ccut hinge.xe2x80x9d
The interconnection of the parts of the display is accomplished entirely by insertion of die cut tabs and slots. No other fasteners are required. Strength and rigidity of the display is also entirely a function of the folding and interlocking of the parts of the display. No other materials are used to accomplish this purpose. Creasing of the fluted material to form fold lines during manufacture of the display parts allows for straight and properly aligned folds during assembly.
Triangular or rectangular construction of the columns, and overlapping of the fluted material with mating tabs and slots, provides strength and stability. The center wall is additionally strengthened by horizontal and vertical ribs formed by folding the center wall section along preformed fold lines. Added rigidity and an aesthetic look is provided by a header attached horizontally from the top of a first end column extending to the top of a second end column. If fabric is not used on the columns, the translucent nature of the fluted plastic material permits installation of lights within the columns, thus providing backlighting to whatever images may be applied to the exterior of the columns.
The front of the display is similarly laminated with fabric to provide a professional appearance. The entire display may also be impregnated during manufacture with a fire retardant additive.
The entire display assembly is packed in a point of sale container in a knocked down flat condition.